The Saragossa Manuscript

  • February 16, 2014 / 14:00
  • February 21, 2014 / 19:00

Director: Wojciech Has
Cast: Zbigniew Cybulski, Iga Cembrzyńska, Elżbieta Czyżewska, Gustaw Holoubek
Poland, 182’, 1965, black and white

Polish with Turkish subtitles

Fully and recently restored version of Has's psychedelic epic.  During Napoleon’s invasion of Spain, two soldiers discover a strange manuscript at an Inn. The book chronicles the adventures of Alfonso van Worden (Zbigniew Cybulski - Ashes and Diamonds). Alfonso’s passage through the dangerous Sierra Morena Mountains is repeatedly interrupted by seemingly random encounters with an assortment of larger than life figures. Tunisian princesses inform Alfonso that he is their cousin and their betrothed; an occult scholar ensnares Alfonso with confounding stories about feuds between Merchants and hardships faced by gypsies. And of course, Alfonso never did expect the Spanish Inquisition. Adapted from explorer Jan Potocki’s magnum opus, Wojciech Has’ The Saragossa Manuscript is a major cult film of the 1960s. Its admirers include filmmakers Luis Buñuel and David Lynch as well as musician Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead. Its approach to storytelling, admiringly described by comics artist Neil Gaiman as ‘a labyrinth inside a maze’, features stories within stories, alternatively frightening and comical in its mind-bending exploration of human nature.

Canal

Canal

Ashes and Diamonds

Ashes and Diamonds

Night Train

Night Train

Mother Joan of the Angels

Mother Joan of the Angels

Innocent Sorcerers

Innocent Sorcerers

Knife in the Water

Knife in the Water

The Saragossa Manuscript

The Saragossa Manuscript

Trailer

The Saragossa Manuscript

The Captive Sultan

The Captive Sultan

The war fought by the Greeks to shake off the Turkish yoke was closely observed around Europe and, this being the era of romanticism, the events taking place around Greece between 1821 and 1832 became a symbol for national liberation struggle.

Have you noticed the gigantic photo on the facade of our building?

Have you noticed the gigantic photo on the facade of our building?

Have you noticed the gigantic photo on our façade? Our Cold Front from the Balkans exhibition focuses on different generations of artists and art groups from the Balkan region.

Midnight Horror Stories: The Landlord <br> Hakan Bıçakcı

Midnight Horror Stories: The Landlord
Hakan Bıçakcı

Three people sleeping side by side. On the uncomfortable seats of the stuffy airplane in the air. Three friends. I’m the friend in the window seat. The other two are a couple, Emre and Melisa. I’m alone, they are together. And another difference. I’ve only closed my eyes. They are asleep.